What's hotter Black Helmets or White

[Marcus]

Interesting results

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi0A75tEU9I

[ST2UP]

Good find, it confirms what we all know or have suspected......but there is a difference between being cool and looking cool.....

 

[saaz]

I prefer white helmets for that reason.  But after riding in 30 plus heat I think it would not matter too much, as depends on airflow and how hot the head of the rider is.  Gold flecks would further add to heat I think...

[StinkyPete]

Good informative find Marcus.   I have always bought light helmets, assuming that they could be cooler (and more visible), but it's nice to see it confirmed with a simple test.

[Biggles]

Great demo!  Good on the Yanks for their science.

My Shoei XR1100 has 7 vents- 1 chin, 2 front and 4 rear.  You can certainly feel the cool air moving through!  Raising the visor blocks the top vents very noticeably.

I'm in the White Brigade for the same reasons.  Originally it was to match my ex-Police ST1100, but I like its visibility and now I like its coolness.

You tough guys- stay with your black helmets.  Preferably the open face German army or pudding basin style, because then you'll get a free meal here in Qld   

[West Aussie Glen]

I have a white one both for temperture and to be seen  but I don't think the heat situation is as simple as shown above. Not only do black objects absorb heat faster than white ones but they also lose it faster. The test would certainly be valid in slow trafffic but not sure what happens when there is a lot of cool air rushing past.

[ST2UP]

I prefer white helmets for that reason.  But after riding in 30 plus heat I think it would not matter too much, as depends on airflow and how hot the head of the rider is.  Gold flecks would further add to heat I think...

Yep your spot on John.......the gold flecks do make it hotter 

[Shiney]

I prefer white helmets for that reason.  But after riding in 30 plus heat I think it would not matter too much, as depends on airflow and how hot the head of the rider is.  Gold flecks would further add to heat I think...

Yep your spot on John.......the gold flecks do make it hotter 

But at the same time they make the helmet cool don't they?

[Couch]

I have both, a white helmet and a black helmet and I decide on the day which one I'm going to wear, I've never noticed any difference in heat between the two when the bike is in motion, and I've never sat sationary long enough in the sun to notice any difference either. If you're going to place a black and a white helmet in the sun then of course the black one is going to get hotter, simply because black absorbs heat more than white does, but with vents open and air flow taken into account, the difference of heat within the helmets would be minimal.  "So sez me"